This invention relates broadly to robes, or drapes for disabled patients, and more particularly to such drapes which are to be worn by incontinent patients who spend much time in sitting or lying positions.
In many hospitals, nursing homes, and the like, there are a number of incontinent patients who spend much time in wheelchairs, especially among older patients. Many such patients are paralyzed because of accidents or other sicknesses but yet are mentally quite alert so they are fully conscious of their bodies, but yet have difficulty caring for them. In caring for such patients, hospital and nursing home staff members have found it to be convenient to place absorbent pads, or other such receivers of body wastes, on chairs on which the patients sit and to periodically replace or empty these receivers. Such arrangements are superior to using "diaper"-like absorbers worn by patients under normal clothes because many of these patients cannot dress and undress themselves and it is quite difficult and burdensome for staff members to dress and undress patients to replace absorbers. When a chair "receiver" has been used in the prior art, it has been customary to place a sheet, blanket, or other drape on the front of the patient so that the patient is not embarrassingly, and unwillingly "exposed".
A major problem with prior-art cover sheets is that these sheets will often move to one side or the other, or simply fall down, thereby exposing the patient. In this respect, sometimes sudden movements by patients will cause such exposure but in other cases, where patient's cannot use their arms and/or hands, to readjust the sheets, they will fall down slowly over a longer period of time. Also, some patients are mentally disturbed and do not care if they are exposed. It is an object of this invention to provide a drape which allows a body-waste receiver to be used with a wheelchair, normal chair, or other patient support, but yet which does not normally allow the patient to become "exposed" below the waist.
A number of hospital gowns, and robes have been suggested for incontinent individuals, some of these are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,383,335 to Slocum, 2,886,822 to Matthews and 3,144,659 to Matthews. However, a difficulty with these gowns is that they are quite confining for patients and/or are difficult, both for patients and care staff members, to put on and take off the patients. It is an object of this invention to provide a drape to be worn by an incontinent patient which is extremely easy to put on and take off the patient, but yet which provides protection from "exposure" for the patient while allowing the use of chair body-waste abscrbers or other receivers. Still another problem with these gowns is that they are rather unsightly in appearance, forcing the patient to appear fully clothed in a hospital-like garment. Thus, it is another object of this invention to provide a drape to be worn by incontinent patients which allows them to wear personalized garments on their upper bodies which do not have a "hospital" appearance.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a garment to be worn by incontinent persons which is uncomplicated in structure, inexpensive to fabricate, easy to put on and take off a patient, pleasing in appearance, and which allows the patient the upmost freedom of movement and security from exposure.